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OGCbuying.solutions has cancelled its plans for a framework agreement on integrated solutions.

The move halts a process that could have involved up to £1bn in business around efforts to implement the Transformational Government strategy. The tender document published in October 2006 said that the framework, under the Catalist brand, would cover solutions in which ICT was the driver for customer requirements.

OGCbs said it would not implement its original plan to follow up with invitations for more detailed tenders from a selected group of bidders.

An OGCbs spokesperson said: "OGCbuying.solutions has halted the tender process for its proposed Integrated Solutions consultancy/ICT framework agreement. This is as a result of a current business review of how OGCbuying.solutions operates. We believe it is better to stop this now - immediately prior to invitations to tender - than to continue with what has developed into a complex framework that is unfit for purpose.

"This decision has not been taken lightly and we considered all available options before arriving at this conclusion. We appreciate that this news will be disappointing; however it is of benefit to all parties, to develop the best possible deal in terms of cost and effectiveness.

"We will work with OGC and collaborate with other government departments to determine future needs in this area and develop alternative structures."

Kable's senior market intelligence analyst Chris Pennell said: "While suppliers might be disappointed this framework has been cancelled, it at least shows that the OGCbs is taking on board some of the comments relating to the number and relevance of its frameworks by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. It also shows that government has not quite worked out exactly what transformational government should cover, which is perhaps more of a concern."

In April 2006 OGCbs cancelled its Total Solutions framework, which included some of the elements of Integrated Solutions, in response to the government's shared services plans.